Does The iPhone Need Patents? — from the questions,-questions dept — A bunch of folks have noted that Steve Jobs seemed mighty excited about the 200 or so patents Apple has filed around some of the technology involved in the iPhone (or whatever it's going to be called).

Hands-on with IPTV on Xbox 360 — We had a chance to check out Microsoft's IPTV offering for Xbox 360, announced earlier this week during Bill Gates' CES keynote, and get answers to some of the questions that have been nagging at us since first hearing about the service.

Gates: PS3 will never have graphics advantage — Speaking with journalist and Xbox guru, Dean Takahashi, Bill Gates offered several jabs to both Sony and Nintendo in the wake of CES. Speaking on Nintendo, Gates expressed concern that the novelty of Wii could wear off without good graphics to go with it …

Planned features for Firefox 3 — In today's Firefox 3 (code name Gran Paradiso) meeting, developers released a preliminary list of requirements for Firefox 3. The new target release date is sometime in the third quarter this year. — Among the list of mandatory requirements, read …

MPAA Caught Uploading Fake Torrents — It is no secret that the MPAA and other anti-piracy organizations track down alleged pirates by uploading fake torrents. Up until now it was always unclear where those files came from, and how to identify them. — The MPAA and other anti-piracy watchdogs try …

Phone Shows Apple's Impact on Consumer Products — Apple's new iPhone appears to be the clearest statement yet of what Steve Jobs's impact has been on consumer electronics. — It is not that he invents new technologies. He refines existing ones. — Mr. Jobs himself acknowledged …

'Craplets' could damage Vista launch: Microsoft exec — A senior Microsoft Corp. executive says the company is concerned that uncertified third-party software loaded onto new computers by manufacturers could hurt the launch of consumer versions of its Windows Vista operating system later this month.

eBay buys StubHub, online ticket reseller, for $310M — StubHub, an online site for reselling tickets to events, has been acquied by eBay for $310 million, minting the latest Silicon Valley millionaires in co-founders Jeff Fluhr and Eric Baker. — The controversial company has grown steadily, badgering eBay's business for years.

Senator to FCC: Don't even think about a broadcast flag — Senator John Sununu (R-NH) has just announced that his office is working on legislation that would prevent the FCC from creating specific technology mandates that have to be followed by consumer electronics manufacturers. What's his target?

Check Your Google Standing With Free Tools — We are sharing a small list of online tools to help you guage your site rankings in Google. These tools are absolutely free and you don't have to share your email address for using any of them. — Live Google PageRank …

Breaking: MTV in Talks with Ziff Davis — 1UP.com may soon join GameTrailers as part of MTV Networks. A well-placed source informed GameDaily BIZ that MTV Networks and Ziff Davis Media are currently negotiating a deal. More within... At the end of December, the always interesting PaidContent.org

Apple Chief Benefited From Options, Records Indicate — Apple Inc. chief executive Steve Jobs confirmed his place this week as the premier impresario of the Internet age, taking the stage in San Francisco to unveil a smart phone that won a raucous endorsement from thousands of fans in the audience …

How to Lose Your Shirt in Second Life — Magnus Rothlisberger, a resident of Second Life, describes in the Second Life Herald how he lost the equivalent of $1,153 on blackjack tables in the virtual world. It's hilarious partly because it's so well-told,but also because it's so awful.

IT doesn't matter, part 7 — This is the seventh installment of the article "IT Doesn't Matter." Part 1 is here. — From offense to defense — So what should companies do? From a practical standpoint, the most important lesson to be learned from earlier infrastructural technologies may be this …

Picasa referrals roll into Google Pack — In the next few days you may notice a change to our Picasa referrals program. With the recent international launch of Google Pack referrals, we'll soon be consolidating Picasa and Pack referrals into a single program.